My thoughts on education and life in general

Dear Pisay 06

Mar 26, 2010

Wow, time flies so fast. It feels just like yesterday when I was teaching you Trigonometry in high school. And now, you are about to finish college and enter the so-called “real” world. I’m sorry that circumstances cannot allow me to attend your graduation day. Nevertheless, you should be proud of what you have accomplished so far. Some of you will graduate next year, and maybe I will be able to attend that one. For those who will graduate this year, this will have to do.

I have to thank you for teaching me the value of patience. My former teachers and classmates can attest to the fact that I get easily irritated with the slightest provocation. But there is just no point in getting angry when you don’t understand what I was saying in the first place, right? I had to think of several ways to make you understand the concepts. Some of them worked, others did not. In any case, that gave me time to pause and think instead of flying off the handle. So while I haven’t totally rid myself of that habit, it is less true now.

When I listen to your visions of the future, of how things should be done, I find myself remembering how we were back then. We also dreamed big when we were your age. A lot of things happened, so somewhere along the way I lost that optimism. But your dreams make me smile, and I thought that maybe it is not yet too late to pursue that dream. I pray that you do not lose that optimism as you grow older.

The best thing that I learned from you guys is how to have fun. I did not care for those extracurricular activities when I was in college. Yes, I was boring during my college years. I only maintained a small circle of friends, and we don’t even meet that often. (I blame the Math building for being isolated with the rest of the UP community during that time, and the fact that I chose an unpopular course.) It was a breath of fresh air to watch your Ramayana presentations, to listen to your Paskorus pieces, or to take your pictures during the retreat. By golly, I even found a lot of people who can relate to my yaoi anime obsessions!

I am glad that you became part of my life. I have to admit that I learned a lot from you, my former students. I probably learned a lot more from you than what you’ve learned from me. Personally, I value those lessons compared with what I’ve learned from all of my professors in college combined. You’ve changed me and helped define what I am right now.

Thank you, and I wish you the best of luck in the future!

P.S. Since I cannot celebrate with you when you get your degrees, let’s just celebrate when I get mine. 🙂